"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful." (~Abram L. Urban)

Friday, October 26, 2012

It is the Annual RSPB feed the birds day on Monday the 29th of October.I love seeing the garden birds flying into and out of the garden.I try to keep a selection of food and water for them to come into the garden.This Collared Dove loves sitting on the table,the bench,and the fence.There are a half dozen of these slim birds that come to feed.

The weather is cooling, and the gardens plants are either dying back,or changing the leaf colour.This is the leaf from the Dogwood.In winter we should be able to admire the bright red stems of the decorative shrub.On frosty and snowy mornings it will add colour to the winter garden.

The Dahlia is making a valiant attempt to flower before the first frosts of Autumn come.The flower is perfect against the dark foliage.I love these.They will need over wintering in the shed again to protect the corms from the frost and wet conditions.

Flowering away beneath the debris of the other dying back plants this Primula is flowering for its third season.Every year they flower in the spring then die back under the new growth of surrounding plants.Come October they are invigorated and are flowering away.October is a lean month for flowers in the garden.

A late Rose blooming on the David Austin Harlow Carr plant.The Roses have had a terrible year with the wettest summer causing black spot,and much fewer flowers.It is making the best of a cooler period with not as much rain.
I want to start writing my seeds list out,and order things to grow next year.I want to try out some of the exotic Vegetables mentioned by James Wong,along with flowers, and more fruit trees.Winter is a good time to reflect on the past year,and to dream about next years growing season.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Autumn is here now.The weather has cooled down,and the leaves on the trees have started to change colour.The paths are starting to get filled up with fallen leaves.The Geum Mrs Bradshaw is still flowering in earnest by the Apple Tree pot.The Bronzed Fennel I cut back has regrown to about two feet high with its ferny aniseed smelling leaves.

The Betula Utilis has grown quite well developing a strong stem at the bottom, which is slowly changing colour from brown to yellow.Hopefully this will change to white in the next few growing seasons.Considering this is a Himalayan Tree it has some very British Caterpillars demolishing its leaves.It is forming the vase shape to keep its size small.It is over six feet tall now.The weeds growing around the base are very lush too!
The Grapes in the greenhouse are nearly ready.They are now a good black colour,and taste reasonably sweet.There has not been as much sunshine as I would have liked.A winter job will be to trim the Grape Vine,and to move its pot outside to get some freezing temperatures to kill off any mites living in the bark of the plant.
I watched a program called Great British Food Revival.Michael Roux Junior was championing traditional British Strawberries.Supermarkets only like stocking Strawberries that travel well,and have a long shelf life.I intend to buy more traditional Strawberry plants and to plant them in the raised Strawberry Bed.I also want some Perpetual Strawberries for late season soft fruit.Mine explode in late June and July, then production drops off,If I can get late season plants then I can eat Strawberries for longer.
The garden needs clearing,and my Spring Bulbs planting.I have Tulips,Aliums,Anemones,and Frittalaria that need planting once I have cleared some space.The seasons keep changing imperceptibly.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

These Purple Haze Carrots are the limit of this years harvest.These were grown from seeds sent from the USA.I grew them in two pots.Despite mice attack ravaging the top growth these actually grew okay.I love the purple colouration on the skin.I still need to cook these and have a taste test.

The Sweet Peas are coming to the end of their flowering.I love the pink and white colours of the Sweet Pea William and Catherine.I need to buy more Sweet Peas to grow next year.I love picking the flowers for the vases and the perfumed scent that can fragrance the conservatory.

The David Austin Moliniux Rose has provided me with a Rose to photograph.It is like lemon sherbet colour with the tea fragrance.I need to buy another Rose to replace the one that has died in the front garden to make the Rose hedge.
I have been reading the Home Grown Revolution book which is inspiring me to think about exotic crops to try growing at the allotment,and in the garden at home.I think trying new things will make it more interesting,and provide new ingredients for cooking home grown produce.
I went to look at a lean too greenhouse today which was too tall and wide.I want to replace the plastic covered one at the end of this year.The Grape Vine needs to go to sleep so I can untangle it from the roof,and move it outside to spend the winter outdoors.The lack of sunshine has meant the grapes have not ripened as well as I thought they would.The plastic greenhouse also has problems regulating the temperature with the doorway open all the time.
I have never grown Grapes so it was a good experiment.Now I want to grow Grapes that are edible without tasting so acidic!The grapes make me wince when I try them and put my arm hairs up.
I have to go back to work for three nights but after that I will be tidying the garden up,planting Spring Bulbs,and clearing the allotment weeds.The days are shorter,and colder.

Monday, October 08, 2012

The days are getting colder,and the light fading earlier each day.The garden has been looking more tired with the changing weather.I was surprised to see a lilac flower blooming in the Japanese Painted Fern pot.It is an Autumn Crocus.

It has beautiful petals unfurling like a Water Lily.It just has the Stem growing up through the soil,and no leaves.These plants can flower in a glass with no soil or warmth.Colchichum they are called..

I harvested these Apples from our Tree.They look delicious and I will enjoy eating them across the Winter.The other fruit trees have grown really well and might fruit next year now they have a lot more growth on than when I bought them.
I love how red the Braeburns are in the crystal fruit bowl.
I am off this week so plenty of time to garden,and to get to the allotment.I will plant my Spring Bulbs this week,and start the clear up in the garden.I will try to blog more too.